Page 71 of Romantic

“Yeah, you would,” he says with affection. “I was moving to London for grad school immediately after graduation, and we hated the idea of being separated. We were young and in love. So we decided to get married.”

“Wait—I need to know. How did you propose?”

“It wasn’t anything special. A couple days after we decided to get married, I took her on a walk in some woods near campus. The fall colors were at their peak.”

“Good, good, I can picture it all. And did you get down on one knee?”

“Of course,” he sounds a little offended. “And I gave her my grandmother’s ring. But it was a pearl instead of a diamond. That’s the first thing I got wrong.”

“Wrong? So far, this is the perfect proposal—and I’m very picky about proposals. But I suppose everyone likes different things.”

“It wasn’t what Daphne wanted. She wanted a showy proposal in a public place, but I thought it would be more special with just the two of us.”

“Oh. I would have loved the woods and the fall colors. She didn’t like that?”

“No. It seems like such a small thing—couples don’t need to feel the same way about everything—but looking back, that was an early sign that we weren’t as compatible as I thought.”

I’m quiet for a moment. This is the first time Brandon has ever told me that his marriage to Daphne wasn’t perfect. I’ve always imagined theirs as some kind of great love story, but maybe the truth is more complicated.

Brandon continues, “Daphne always brought up the proposal when we went to counseling. She said I never asked her what she would like. And she had a point; I totally botched it. At the very least I should have found out what sort of ring she wanted. She hated my grandma’s.”

“I can understand her wanting something different. But so far, your proposal checks all my boxes: private, sentimental, and heartfelt.”

“Duly noted,” Brandon says, laughing. Brandon laughs a lot during our phone calls. It makes me feel like an absolute enchantress, how often I can make him laugh.

“So you proposed . . . then what?”

“We went shopping and got her the ring she wanted. Daphne adored wedding planning with my mom. She was invested in every detail. And I was happy that she was happy. We had a huge June wedding, straight out of the pages of a bridal magazine.” I already know all of this because of my early snooping when I found their announcement in the wedding section of the New York Times. I can picture it all.

“Okay, so you got married and moved to England. Sounds like a dream.”

“It was my dream. I thought everything was perfect, but I should have thought more about how Daphne felt. I loved the challenge of business school. And whenever I met up with friends or classmates, they were charmed with Daphne. But she was not so charmed with the U.K. In the States, she had a job and her own group of friends. But in Oxford, she struggled to connect with mine or make friends of her own. It was too hard to get a work visa, so she couldn’t work in England and was bored and cooped up. I realize now that she was depressed.”

“Oh, the poor thing. She must have been so lonely.”

“I know, and I . . . I didn’t see it. It was her idea to start a family, and since money wasn’t an issue . . .” The uncomfortable look on his face makes me smile. I love how humble he still is about his wealth.

“Brandon, I know you’re fabulously wealthy,” I say with a smile. “Once you bought Norland Park, the cat was out of the bag.”

“I guess so. But I was different back then. I kind of flaunted my money—not on purpose exactly, but just because that’s what my friends did. Daphne loved the more jet-set lifestyle and the way things were when we were dating. She thought that was what our married life would be like. Instead, she ended up in a lonely flat in Oxford where it rained all the time.”

“That honestly sounds like heaven,” I say dreamily.

“Yes, well, not everyone has your love for inclement weather,” he says, smiling at me fondly. I blush, remembering my fateful hike in the rain.

“Before we knew it, Pepper was on her way. And for a little bit, I think Daphne was happy. She was busy shopping for the baby and decorating the nursery. It was like planning for the wedding all over again. She loved a big project. And she had an easy pregnancy. She didn’t get sick and hardly gained any weight.”

“I’m going to look like a whale when I’m pregnant. My mom gained a ton of weight with each of us.”

“Like I’d care.” I don’t think Brandon even realizes what he just said. I might be reading too much into it, but the thought maybe—just maybe—he’s hoping for a life together someday makes my heart flutter

“When Pepper was born, I was immediately smitten all over again with this roly-poly baby, but Daphne . . . she was miserable. She felt more tied down than ever. And I was just clueless. I thought she was just a little overwhelmed, so we hired a nanny.”

“Still, even with a nanny, a newborn is a lot of work. I think Daphne felt trapped—it was too little, too late. When Pepper was six months old, she told me our marriage was a mistake. She wanted some time away from me and Pepper. She suggested she return to Arizona to live with her family. I agreed immediately—anything she wanted, I would make it happen. In my mind, my most important job was making her happy, but in the end I couldn’t do it. I realize now how severe her depression was—and even aside from that, we probably weren’t the best match. But still, I feel like I failed her.

“Daphne seemed much happier once she went home. I wasn’t sure if we were going to stay married. She kept saying, ‘This is not what I signed up for.’ And she wanted to study law, but it made no sense for her to study law in England when we planned to move back to the states. So she was kind of aimless.”

“She must have felt so confused.”